Nebraska Medicine in Omaha expanding emergency department

Nebraska Medicine is expanding its emergency department to accommodate the needs of those in eastern Nebraska. Dr. Michael Wadman is an emergency room physician and chairman of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Department of Emergency Medicine and says the current E-R opened in 2005 and built to accommodate 60,000 patients of year. They have well surpassed that number.

Dr. Wadman says, “We are anticipating that our volumes will increase and we are trying to prepare for that. Our first step is to provide the space necessary. The next step is to hire the appropriate personnel to staff those areas and we are in the process of doing that.”

The current emergency department opened in November of 2005 and it was built to accommodate 60,000 patients annually. By the end of 2016, the department is expected to surpass that number. A new study shows that Nebraska Medicine’s emergency department can expect another 4,000 to 10,000 patient visits a year.

Nebraska Medicine is adding seven private rooms with one specifically designed to serve as a sexual assault evaluation and treatment area. There will be extra work stations for physicians and nurses and other upgrades to eight current critical care rooms.

Dr. Wadman says the emergency department is not changing locations and will remain open during construction that is scheduled to start on January 3rd. It should be completed by early June.